Pristine used field cameras... are they hangar queens?

[eddie]

not sure how they do it. i bet they never used the camera that is why it is so nice. i try and be as careful as i can with my stuff but it does get the occasional bump and bruise. they still work great though.

as for the Ferraris...i may not drive it down a dirt road as that is not really what they were made for but i would hammer the sh!t out of it on every turn i could find....and then maybe head up to watkins glen for a proper thrashing.....just like i take my camera out for picture taking.

[Diane Maher]

Every camera I own gets used in the field. All equipment can be cleaned, and after a whole 18 hour day of driving down dirt roads and trails looking for antique bridges, the whole inside of the Land rover is covered in a fine layer of dust...but you know what? Dust can be vacuumed off cameras and equipment. Cow poop can be removed from tripods, and lenses can be cleaned. Cameras were meant to be used, and better cameras make the shooting experience easier. I am not keeping my equipment pristine so I can sell it for a premium price at some point in the future, rather I am using it to get the images I want. If it gets scratches and wear, so what.

I agree completely. I use my cameras/lenses in the field too. Any minor wear that is seen on them means that it is used and well loved.

[Gem Singer]

The point I was trying to make by using the Ferrari analogy was:

Of course a Ferrari has the ability to stand up to hard use. But why take a valuable vehicle out on the road and purposely abuse it?

I certainly would not take my $3500 8x10 Canham out and subject it to abuse.

Professionals subject their equipment to much more usage than hobbyists. They need to make a living. Used equipment that was previously owned by professional photographers naturally shows more signs of wear and tear.

[Frank Petronio]

I've bought several used dslrs with shot counts of only a couple thousand, and these were owned for months or even years by their original owners.

When I read of people taking 60 minutes to set-up a 4x5 shot, or 5-10 minutes just to zero and level their camera, I can understand why they look mint.

All the better for me. I love buying inexpensive, yet mint cameras.

That said, we'd probably all get better pictures if we kept a "beater" in the car, ready to go abuse.

[evan clarke]

I think people are attracted to view cameras and just buy them to try them, find out it's not their thing and later sell them...EC

[Michael Gordon]

They're tools and are meant to be used and abused. My Ebony has dents, dings, and a small crack in the mahogany, and my Schneider Super Symmar has pits from being dropped on basalt. They still work just fine.

Some buy the gear for the gear, and some buy it to actually use it.

[Kirk Keyes]

Back when, I knew a fellow whose daily driver was a 250 GTE. After one of his sons took it out for an unauthorized spin (literally), he replaced the wreck with a 250 Lusso that he used as his daily driver.

The kid wasn't named Cameron with his friend Ferris, was it?

[Kirk Keyes]

My Technika IV was like a new Ferrari when I got it in 1983, and now, it's more like a Fiat. Except the Technika works every time I put the film in. Unlike my departed 1970 Fiat 124 Spyder.

[Michael Alpert]

How could any of us know how or why cameras are used (or not used) by strangers? It's their business. One thing is obvious. Large format photography is more demanding in time and money than people often expect. The hours and effort needed just for processing film can be a big surprise. So the fact that there are people who decide to sell their newly bought large-format cameras is not that startling. It is especially understandable for busy people who have high standards and do not want to be cornered into a situation of unavoidable mediocrity.

[walter23]

Dan,

If I had spent 250K for an automobile, I would never drive it at high speed over a dirt road full of potholes and rocks.

Then by analogy I guess you'd never take your camera out where it matters and shoot images with it